Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In big metro areas, the population of the civilians have been increasing significantly over the period, which leads to have more expensive houses along with various other problems. That is why, big cities are seen to have more taller buildings for residence instead of single houses, since it is believed to be the best option to provide enough homes. I am completely agreeing with this statement.

To begin with, metropolitan areas are the core unit of any nation because of its escalating population. There can be various reasons of this trend like more opportunities of jobs and education along with more exposure of various things. Thus, since so many people are settling down in these areas, it must have a good facility of housing without the problem of congestion. For example, single house takes a big piece of land and it would not be possible for everyone to afford or rent it. Thus why, tall buildings are crucial to be constructed in order to fill a major portion of people in one building with all the fundamental facilities. That is one of the biggest reasons of making these buildings.

In addition, apart from the congestion problem, these buildings can be very affordable for the people with low income. Single homes have become very expensive in the urban societies with the significant growth in the population of the civilians, so for people who cannot bear the cost of these houses can have the option to choose to live in the apartment blocks. For instance, Mumbai the city of India is facing housing problems among lower middle class families. So, the policy makes took initiate in order to aid dwellers to get a safe roof and a secure ecosystem by establishing tall buildings with apartments. This initiate is really helpful for the people.

In summary, building tall apartment flats has enormous merits by giving affordable shelters along with tackling with the congestion problem among people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of tall apartment blocks. The ideas are relevant, focusing on housing density and affordability. However, the development is somewhat repetitive; the arguments regarding 'congestion' and 'affordability' are mentioned in both body paragraphs without significant new depth. While the position is consistent, the supporting examples, such as the mention of Mumbai, are brief and could be more effectively linked to the broader argument to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed, but the depth of analysis is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. The writer uses basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'In addition,' and 'In summary' to signal the structure. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Thus why' and 'That is one of the biggest reasons of making these buildings.' Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel disjointed due to repetitive phrasing. The overall arrangement is coherent, but the flow could be improved with more sophisticated linking words and varied sentence transitions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. The writer relies on basic terms like 'big,' 'good,' and 'things.' There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'population of the civilians' (which is redundant and unnatural) and 'policy makes took initiate' (should be 'policymakers took the initiative'). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message, it does not demonstrate the flexibility or the use of less common lexical items required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'leads to have more expensive houses' (should be 'leads to more expensive housing'), 'more taller' (double comparative), and 'single house takes' (missing article). Punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex structures is inconsistent. While the meaning is rarely obscured, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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